Buddy Media Hopes Spinback Buy Boosts Social ROI Tracking

Well-funded Facebook developer Buddy Media is using some of its cash to bolster its pitch to retailers. The company, which has 600 clients that mostly fall into the branding (not direct marketing) category, has purchased retail-focused Spinback for an undisclosed amount.

Spinback, a five-man operation that launched last fall, has attracted 20 retailer clients such as T-shirt seller Busted Tees, home furnishings brand Living Direct, and golf supplies marketer 3Balls.com. The Spinback brand will at least temporarily remain intact under the Buddy Media umbrella. Buddy Media says it eventually plans on integrating the acquired company's technology into its social media products.

One of Spinback's specialties is tracking sales on brand websites back to Facebook Pages. Upgrading ROI tracking appears to nicely complement Buddy Media's platform, which entails Facebook analytics, wall publishing and moderation, and local or global Facebook Page launches. Among Spinback's capabilities are conversion tracking features for Twitter, email, and blogs.

In a prepared statement, Living Direct president Jason Roussos, addressed Spinback's analytics package. "[It] has allowed us turn our social media strategy into more than just 'clicks,' 'follows' and 'Tweets.' We are now getting actionable data showing us demographics, product trends and, most importantly, revenue tied to our activities."

The Buddy Media-Spinback development underscores how social media vendors, by hook or by crook, or by an extravagant set of links, want to look and act more like they're in the direct sales game. Retailers scratching their heads about what Facebook Commerce and overall social media marketing means to their futures should see it as a good sign.

Buddy Media CEO Mike Lazerow states, "[We] can now answer the question 'what is the ROI of social media?' better than anyone else in the market in a holistic way, both on Facebook and off, and on Twitter and email."

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christopher Heine was a senior writer for ClickZ through June 2012. He covered social media, sports/entertainment marketing, retail, and more. Heine's work has also appeared via Mashable, Brandweek, DM News, MarketingSherpa, and other tech- and ad-centric publications. USA Today, Bloomberg Radio, and The Los Angeles Times have cited him as an expert journalist.

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